Abstract: Phosphonomethylated poly-vinylamines which contain as characteristic structural elements units of the formula where R1 is hydrogen, C1-C6-alkyl or and X is hydrogen, an alkali metal, ammonium or one equivalent of an alkaline earth metal, are obtainable by phosphonomethylation of polymers which contain N-vinyl-amide or vinylamine groups and are useful as detergent additives and water treatment agents.

Abstract: Glycine-N,N-diacetic acid derivatives and their alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium salts are used as complexing agents for alkaline earth metal and heavy metal ions with the exception of .alpha.-alanine-N,N-diacetic acid as textile detergent builders in powder detergent formulations and as calcium sequestrants in oral hygiene products.

Abstract: Glycine-N,N-diacetic acid derivatives and their alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium salts are used as complexing agents for alkaline earth metal and heavy metal ions with the exception of .alpha.-alanine-N,N-diacetic acid as textile detergent builders in powder detergent formulations and as calcium sequestrants in oral hygiene products.

Abstract: Disclosed is the use of glycine-N,N-diacetic acid derivatives as their alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium salts as complexing agents for alkaline earth and heavy metal ions, except with .alpha.-alanine-N,N-diacetic acid, as textile detergent builders in powdered detergent formulations and as calcium sequestering agents in oral hygiene products.

Abstract: A process for preparing copolymers of vinyl esters and monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids by free-radical copolymerization of(a) 20 to 80 mol % of vinyl esters of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids having at least 2 carbon atoms and(b) 80-20 mol % of monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, with or without(c) 0-30 mol % of other copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers and/or(d) 0-10 mol % of monomers which contain at least two non-conjugated ethylenic double bonds in the molecule,in the presence of at least one sulfur, phosphorus and/or nitrogen compound with a reducing action and of 0.05-30% by weight, based on the monomers, of at least one surface-active agent in aqueous medium in the presence of initiators and in the presence or absence of regulators, and the use of the copolymers or of the copolymers which are obtainable therefrom by hydrolysis and/or oxidation and have vinyl alcohol units as additive to detergents and cleaners.

Abstract: The use of polyaspartic acid prepared by polycondensation of aspartic acid in the presence of phosphoric acid in a molar ratio of from 1:0.05 to 1:10 at temperatures of at least 120.degree. C. to give polysuccinimide, and subsequent hydrolysis of the polysuccinimide with bases to give at least partially neutralized polyaspartic acid, as additive to detergents and cleaners in amounts of from 0.1 to 10% by weight, and detergents and cleaners which contain polyaspartic acids prepared in the presence of phosphoric acid.

Abstract: Polymers which contain polyacetal blocks are obtainable by polymerizing carboxylates containing aldehyde groups in the presence of initiators and reacting the polymers with at least bifunctional crosslinking agents in the presence of acids or Lewis acids and, if required hydrolyzing the ester groups present as polymerized units, process for the preparation of the polymers containing polyacetal blocks by polymerizing carboxylates containing aldehyde groups in the presence of initiators and reacting the resulting polyacetals containing terminal hydroxyl groups with at least bifunctional crosslinking agents in the presence of acids or Lewis acids, and the use of the resulting polymers as additives in phosphate-free and reduced phosphate detergents and cleaning agents, as scale inhibitors and as dispersants for pigments.

Abstract: Modified polyaspartic acids useful as detergent and cleaner additives, as water treatment agents and as scale inhibitors in the evaporation of sugar juice are obtainable by polycondensation of(a) from 1 to 99.9 mol % of aspartic acid with(b) from 99 to 0.1 mol % of fatty acids, polybasic carboxylic acids, anhydrides of polybasic carboxylic acids, polybasic hydroxycarboxylic acids, monobasic polyhydroxycarboxylic acids, alcohols, amines, alkoxylated alcohols and amines, amino sugars, carbohydrates, sugarcarboxylic acids and/or non-proteinogenic aminocarboxylic acidsor by polymerizing monoethylenically unsaturated monomers in the presence of polyaspartic acids in the manner of a free-radically initiated graft polymerization.

Abstract: Copolymers containing(a) from 5 to 90 mol % of vinyl formate units,(b) from 10 to 95 mol % of units of monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids,(c) from 0 to 70 mol % of units of monoethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, and(d) from 0 to 30 mol % of units of other monoethylenically unsaturated monomersin copolymerized form and having K values of at least 8 (determined by the method of H. Fikentscher in 1% strength by weight aqueous solution on the sodium salt of the copolymers at pH 7 and 25.degree. C.

Abstract: Hydroxamic acids and hydroxamic acid ethers I and II ##STR1## where Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are --NH --OY, --NR.sup.1 --OY or --OX, where in the case of (I) at least one of Z.sup.1 or Z.sup.2, and in the case of (II) Z.sup.1 is --NH --OY or --NR.sup.1 --OY, andR.sup.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 -alkyl,X is hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium or substituted ammonium, andY is hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium, substituted ammonium or C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 -alkyl, andL is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.100 linker which can also carry oxygen and nitrogen functional groups,with the exception of N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)-2-aminoacetohydroxamic acid.

Abstract: Use of carboxyl-containing reaction products of(a) maleic anhydride, maleic acid and/or fumaric acid, and(b) proteins or protein hydrolyzateshaving an acid number of at least 1.5 mmol of NaOH/g of reaction product, as ingredient of reduced-phosphate and phosphate-free detergents and cleaners.

Abstract: A process for preparing finely divided mixtures of amphiphilic polymers and polycarboxylates, which comprises mixing(a) aqueous dispersions or colloidal aqueous solutions with at least one amphiphilic polymer, and(b) an aqueous solution of a polycarboxylatein a weight ratio of (a):(b) of from 1:1 to 1:20, each based on the solids, or dispersing at least one amphiphilic polymer in an aqueous solution of a polycarboxylate, and spray-drying the dispersions thus obtainable to form finely divided polymer mixtures, use of the finely divided polymer mixtures as ingredient of detergent and as laundry aftertreatment, and finely divided polymer mixtures having a particle size from 20 .mu.m to 3 mm prepared by the above-indicated process.

Abstract: Process for preparing polycondensates of citric acid and/or isocitric acid, by converting(a) citric acid, isocitric acid or mixtures thereof in an organic solvent in the presence of a water-withdrawing agent at least partially into the anhydride form and then condensing the reaction mixture, if desired after addition of two cocondensable compounds selected from the group consisting of(b) other hydroxycarboxylic acids and/or(c) amino acids, alcohols, amines and/or at least dibasic carboxylic acids other than carboxylic acids (a) and (b), at temperatures of at least 80.degree. C. to form polycarboxylates which have an average molecular weight of at least 500, polycondensates of citric acid and/or isocitric acid obtainable thereby, anduse of said polycondensates as ingredients in phosphate-free and reduced-phosphate detergents and cleaners, and also detergents and cleaners which contain at least one surfactant and optionally builders and other customary constituents with from 0.

Abstract: Reaction products of polybasic acids and amino-containing compounds, which are obtainable by heating a mixture of (a) a polybasic carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, isocitric acid, aconitic acid, itaconic acid and/or tartaric acid and (b) an amino-containing compound in a molar ratio of (a) to (b) of from 1:0.1 to 1:10 to at least 80.degree. C. are used as additives in low-phosphate and phosphate-free detergents and cleaning agents.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of products of the reaction of polyaspartimides and amino acids by reaction of amino acids with polyaspartimides in aqueous medium at pH values at which at least 5% of the amino groups in the amino acids are in non-protonated form in equilibrium with the protonated form, and use of the reaction products obtainable in this way and of products of the reaction of polyaspartimides with alkanolamines or aminated C.sub.1 -C.sub.30 -fatty alcohol alkoxylates which contain as copolymerized units up to 50 mol % of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide per mol of fatty alcohol, as additive to detergents and cleaners, as scale inhibitor and as dispersant.

Abstract: Polycocondensates based on aspartic acid which are obtainable by condensing aspartic acid in the presence of polymers containing carboxyl groups, which contain at least 10 mol % of a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid in copolymerized form and have a molecular weight of at least 300, in the weight ratio from 1,000:1 to 2:1, processes for preparing the polycocondensates and use of the polycocondensates in the form of the free acid groups or in a form neutralized with ammonia, amines, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal bases as an additive to detergents and cleaners, as scale inhibitors or as dispersants for finely divided solids are described.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of polymers of aspartic acid by reacting (a) maleic anhydride and (b) ammonia and/or primary or secondary amines without diluent in the (a):(b) molar ratio of 1:0.1 to 1:3 to give monoamides of maleic acid, fumaric acid or their ammonium salts at up to 100.degree. C. and subsequent condensation of the reaction products, with or without compounds capable of cocondensation, at above 100.degree. C. and, where appropriate, hydrolysis of the condensates and use of the polymers as scale inhibitor, as dispersants for pigments and as additive to detergents and cleaners.

Abstract: Esters of citric acid or acetylcitric anhydride with compounds of at least 3 OH groups selected from the group consisting of polyglycerol, sugarcarboxylic acids, alkyl glucosides, derivatives of oligosaccharides, aminosorbitol, aminodisorbitol, glucosamine, triethanolamine and trishydroxyethylmelamine, each OH group of the alcohol component of the esters being esterified on average with from 0.15 to 1 molecule of citric acid or acetylcitric anhydride, are useful as additives in low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergents.

Abstract: A process for preparing polyacetals by copolymerization of glyoxylic esters with other copolymerizable monomers in the presence of anionic or cationic polymerization initiators, with or without the introduction of stable end groups and with or without hydrolysis of the copolymerized units of glyoxylic ester present in the copolymer comprises using as monomers cyclic formals derived from diols, homopolymers of formaldehyde, trioxepane or mixtures thereof, although up to 50% by weight of this group of monomers may be replaced by other customary copolymerizable monomers, and the poly(acetal-carboxylate)s thus obtainable are useful as additives in reduced-phosphate and phosphate-free detergents and cleaners, as water treatment agents and as dispersants for finely divided substances.

Abstract: Condensation products that contain N,O-acetal or carboxamide structures and are useful as detergent and cleaner additives are obtainable by condensation of(a) compounds that contain at least one unit of the structural elements ##STR1## where X is OH or NHR and R is C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl or --CH.sub.2 --COOH, with(b) aldehydes, ketones or aldehyde- or keto-carboxylic acids to form acetal-lactones, and subsequent cleavage of the acetal-lactones with(c) aminocarboxylic acids, primary or secondary amines and/or polyethyleneimines.